Even as stores throughout Chattanooga pulled down their Christmas decorations and threw their holiday stock into the discount bins early last month, they began filling their windows and shelves with Valentine’s Day décor and product.

Out went Rudolf and his red nose and up went the heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolates and rows of cards offering romantic platitudes.

Bill Colvin spent the first few minutes of his term as 2017 president of the Chattanooga Bar Association issuing a call to arms against attorneys who are violating Tennessee anti-solicitation rules and others who short-change the public.

“I have been struck by how the Woodmore school bus tragedy has affected all of us and brought to light a number of issues with the unauthorized practice of law,” Colvin said.

Advocates of increased high-speed internet competition say Gov. Bill Haslam’s rural broadband proposal lacks an important part of the equation: the ability of municipal electric utilities to reach out to people.

Their other concern is that major private companies could have too much voice.

While the commitment to carving out time together is important and worthwhile in and of itself, a little intentionality, thoughtfulness and preparation can greatly increase a date’s value.

If you consider something of great worth, you invest in it. That means you learn about it, spend time on it, nurture it and attend to it. Showing your date that you’ve made the effort to think about them and to prepare for your time together is essential and goes a LONG way toward creating romance.

River City Company and CARTA are leading an effort to study parking in Downtown Chattanooga. The study is in partnership with the City of Chattanooga, and funding is provided by The Lyndhurst and Benwood Foundations, along with several downtown stakeholders, including Erlanger Health System, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation.

Chattanooga Realtor Jay Robinson, founder of the Robinson Team of Keller Williams Realty, has added two additional agents to his team of real estate professionals. Tricia Adams and Sarah Brandt have joined the Robinson Team as full-time buyer’s specialists.

Volkswagen Chattanooga and the State of Tennessee have established of a $1 million program that will allow Hamilton County middle and high schools to apply for funds to create a science lab in their school.

Named the Volkswagen eLabs, the program will allow students to gain access to emergent technologies, including automated manufacturing equipment, 3D printers, robotics, programmable microcomputers and renewable energy kits and other science-related activities.

The Public Education Foundation is recruiting Chattanooga-area businesses to hire Hamilton County Department of Education high school students for paid summer internships through its STEP-UP Chattanooga initiative.

Launched in January 2016, this internship program for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors will provide work readiness training designed to help students be successful in interviews and professional settings.

Builder of the Year

The housing market and ultimately home buyers have not been left untouched by the unfolding announcements taking place in Washington, D.C. since inauguration day.

On Jan. 20, shortly after President Trump was installed, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it was suspending indefinitely a planned reduction in the FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium rate. Mortgage insurance is required when a buyer is borrowing more than 80 percent of the purchase price of home.

After an impressive year for sales of newly built, single-family homes in the Greater Chattanooga area, the National Association of Home Builders forecasts continued growth in 2017 and 2018.

That’s great news for the people who work and live here because every year home construction supports 2,800 Chattanooga-area jobs and generates over $192 million dollars in local income and $26 million dollars in support for community services and improvements.

The Chambliss Center for Children, a Chattanooga community childcare nonprofit, recently elected four new members to serve on the agency’s board of directors.

Cam Born, Teddi Mendel, Jim Miller and Cindy Wilkerson were selected.

“Year after year I am amazed at the level of talent we have within our board,” says Phil Acord, President/CEO of Chambliss Center for Children. “We have tremendous leadership in place, and are grateful for the passion, professionalism, and insight these new members will bring to our agency.”

The Chattanooga Police Department has a new strategy to combat gun violence in the city.

Over the past four years, 51 percent of homicides in Chattanooga and 56 percent of non-fatal shootings involved gang members as the victim or the suspect, the CPD says. In addition, less than one percent of the city’s population is involved in gang activity, Police Chief Fred Fletcher says.

Sponsored by the Chattanooga Amateur Radio Club, the program is open to the public. NWS meteorologists will teach attendees the basics of thunderstorm development and the fundamentals of storm structure, train spotters on how to identify potential severe weather and provide information on what information to report and how to report it.